Therapists' preference

Do you think that therapists prefer to work with young persons who have their whole lives ahead of them?

I don't think so. I tell my T "I'm too old" and she says I'm not. When you use the IFS model, you get to work with "young parts" all the time so she gets both!

I don't think it matters if the person is "working" hard at their therapy, is "interesting" in that way? I don't think my T retired just to get rid of me because I was 55?

I love working with kids. But, in working with kids I work with their parents, really.

In terms of adults, I don't really have a preference. It never really crossed my mind to think about it being "their whole lives ahead of them". I think the 'older adults' have a lot of wisdom and experience, and so if I can help them tap into their insight, it could be a marvelous process to work with. To open their eyes and give them new tools, especially if they've been simply using a 'hammer' for the last 20 years. Imagine what they could do with a new 'tool belt' and the perspective that can be gained.

i think old threapists can have age issues with young people , because they wish they where young again.

My T said there are those who grow and change all their lives,
and there are those who just grow old.
I know which category she'd rather work with; where one is now in the continuum doesn't seem to matter too much.

she has also said, a couple of times, that she wishes I had considered therapy back in my 30s (instead of starting in mid 50s). I can't argue with that, but what's past is past; I have only the now, and whatever future is granted to me.

mine won't see anyone under 14...at least that's what her website says...

Wow that's an interesting question. I was on a group therapy thing this weekend for the first time ever. One of the group members was 76. I felt so sad that she had waited so long to deal with some of her troubles, however so admired the fact that she was there participating and ready to change some things.

The other thing that sprang to mind is regardless of how old we are, we all right now have the whole of the rest of our lives in front of us.

I know mine won't see anyone under 16 years...not sure why, never asked, don't really care why, to be honest. It is one of the many reasons I chose her, though. I wanted someone with a practice focusing primarily on adults...not kids, not couples, not families...just adults.

Hey,

I think if therapist only wanted to work with a certain type of client they would probably specialise in that form of therapy and try to get a job in that area like childrens Therapy, family therapy etc

Most therapists just want to help people, it doesn't really matter what the age as long as you can reach out and help someones life quality improve in some way

Are you worried about your own therapists preference of client?

I'm training to be a child psychologist. I chose this client group because they are the ones I easily build rapport with, rather than thinking strategically about which client group would benefit most in terms of the number of years ahead of them. I'm coming to the end of my first year of training, and I'm still coming to terms with how little direct work I do with children. It is almost exclusively working with the adults in the systems around the child (family, school, community). At first I was really disappointed, but actually, it makes perfect sense. We usually don't need to 'change' children. We need to change adults' minds about children. And even more importantly, I feel that children have such little power that they can't really effect change for themselves, whereas adults have the autonomy to do this. I know that I couldn't have benefitted from therapy as a teenager in the way I can now, because I didn't have the literal (or even mental) freedom and independence to do so.

It's a fine line though, because there is so much pain and waste in the meantime. A lecturer casually used the term 'disability adjusted life years' with reference to mental illness a few months ago and the concept keeps coming back to me. I've done the calculation for my own life, and it is sad.

My T doesn't work with kids at all. But, what does it matter? She has me and probably many other clients that walk into her office and suddenly act like a 6 year old.

I think it's hard to make a generalization about this. I think some Ts prefer to work with children or youth and some with adults. And I think their interests can change with time.

My own T worked with younger clients more when he was younger. Now he does a lot of couples work and works on marriage and divorce. I sometimes think his interests have matured as he has matured, and he wants to work with people going through life changes more similar to his own than what he was going though 40 years ago. But he has never said this. He has said that as a youth, he wanted to be a child psychiatrist and commented that he doesn't work much with children now. I said but he does, in a way, as he helps adults with their problems from childhood (after all, I had several child ego states we worked with!). He agreed that this was true.

I know when I was trying to find a family therapist for me and my teenaged daughter to see, my T had to poke around a bit to find a suitable referral. Many family therapists really emphasize couples therapy, and I wanted someone who was very experienced at working with teens and young adults. We finally identified someone, and his practice for years has included many adolescents and young adults, but he sees all ages too. He is in his 50s and has maintained this interest in youth.

In my current nursing training, the students seem to know quite easily if they want to do adults or pediatrics. Very few students, after the first year, say that they are not sure. So I think it is a very individual inclination.

I think mine has a preference for adults , since she only works with people older than 18

I didn't mean adults vs. children, but I can understand how that connection was made.

I was refering to only adults.

I know that my T does play therapy with kids...I think she works with all age groups. She sees a few teenagers..I think she gets a kick out of us

I had a little chuckle last week at my DBT group......the co-leader who was leading while the leader is on vacation commented that she has the teenage DBT group a few hours after ours & she said that she has to catch herself at times getting frustrated in trying to get a concept across that "they just don't get"......also, the tangents tend to go farther off track then that of the adult group.....but the rewards when they get it she said are the most rewarding.

You are a lot less cynical than me Echoes, I don't think it has much to do with the patient at all, I think many doctors are driven to work with special populations because it answers a personal need for them. E.g. if a T wants to work with adolescents maybe it's because they haven't resolved all their issues from that time of life or maybe they just enjoy being idealized. I dunno something like that. I think they see themselves in it and want something out of the patient.

Having seen mostly T's who are about 20 years older, I can definitely attest that they younger you are they more they seem to relate in an advice-giving way. I think it's harder to achieve that position of equality and there's an explicit adult-child vibe to the interaction. I imagine many Ts prefer working with matured clients because it is more a clash between 2 equallly formed world views-- less room for explicit guidance-- less comfort in one person naturally being the dominant person-- and perhaps that is challenging in a different way. Dunno, just speculating. I would be very curious to know what it's like to see a T who is younger-- like is there a potential to dismiss their ideas more?

My T is younger than me but I see her as my guide, my teacher, my helper, my support, etc. etc. I depend on her and it doesn't bother me in the least her being younger than me. I don't notice her age. I notice her personhood. And that's how I relate to all people in my life. I connect to people mind to mind, soul to soul - the age of the body is irrelevant.

I think my T worked quite a bit with young adults when he was a much younger adult. Now he seems to work with a lot of middle-aged adults, and that is his age too. As he ages, so does his clientele? He has told me his favorite kind of therapy is to help adult children reconcile with their parents.

My T once told me she doesnt like working with children because the problems are really with the parents. She also rather not work with elderly patients unless they are "lively."

I don't think its true for everyone, although may be true for some.
My T likes to work with child alters and is good with them.
I know another trauma T who doesn't like child alters at ALL.
My husband is a therapist, and he REALLY likes older people/the elderly, helping them with end of life issues.

I had to giggle at this one, I'm sorry :P

My t works with all ages. It has come in really handy when my own children needed a few sessions. It is really interesting to see him work with younger clients. (He had me sit in on a few sessions with my son.) Very different approach. Way cool.

As a therapist who has worked with patients aged 3 through 70, I can say that in my experience, younger patients have a certain draw to them. But as therapy progresses, I find that age is quickly forgotten. It just becomes irrelevant. The patient who gave me the most joy to work with was 70. Her story was so complex, and she had so many experiences to draw from. And she worked hard!